“I’m a fashion director and this is the dress I get the most compliments about”

I can honestly say it was love at first sight when I saw this simple but striking dress. Everything about it just wowed me. From its nipped-in waist, ruffled hem and pretty puffed shoulders to the exaggerated cuffs on the three-quarter sleeves, which by the way, are the most flattering sleeves anyone could wish for on a dress (they make your waist look smaller!!!). But the best bit of all is that it’s made from clever corduroy. Corduroy?!? I hear you shout. Isn’t that for 1970s flares and retro jackets? Well, yes, it was, but it’s had a thoroughly modern makeover, and the cord dress is having its moment in the spotlight.

Cord (as the cool kids call it) gives the midlife body incredible shape. Why? Where do I start? Its sturdiness means it holds you in (no Spanx required), the thickness means it smooths out lumps and bumps (no VPL), but most importantly, it has spectacular structure, so designers are able to create demure yet dramatic silhouettes, which other fabrics such as cotton, jersey, polyester and satin are unable to do. Corduroy is tough, durable yet soft, and smooth to touch – win-win in my opinion.

I splashed out on this £250 black cord Aspiga dress over a year ago and I don’t regret it one little bit. I wear it all the time to events, the office, nights out, funerals… it really is the wear-anywhere LBD that keeps on giving. Cost-per-wear, I must be on £1 by now. In fact, it’s the dress I’ve had the most compliments about, ever! In May, I wore it to my aunt’s funeral, and no word of a lie, as I watched my aunt’s coffin being lowered into the ground, I got a tap on my shoulder from a lady asking me where my dress was from!